Heat Pumps

Germany’s Electrofleet has invested in its virtual power plant technology partner Dieenergiekoppler. The two collaborate to enable mid-sized businesses to use self-produced renewable energy based on fixed price contracts. Dieenergiekoppler’s latest financing round solidified the collaboration.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new propane heat pump has a seasonal coefficient of performance exceeding 5.0.

Researchers in Sweden sought to raise the efficiency of ground source heat pumps by combining their operation with that of PVT systems and free cooling. Through a series of simulations, they found that this integrated solution may reduce borehole length and land area requirements.

Fonterra, a New Zealand-based dairy producer, has started operating a new heat pump in combination with a solar thermal facility. The hybrid project transforms excess heat from chillers and compressors into a heat source for industrial use.

Researchers in China have developed an optimized version of the whale optimization algorithm that reportedly indentifies the optimal area ratio of rooftop PV systems and solar collectors used in combination with air source heat pumps. They demonstrated that the installation area of photovoltaic modules and collectors affects both the power side and the thermal side.

Mitsubishi’s monobloc Hydrolution EZY can reportedly produce domestic hot water up to 60 C when outdoor temperatures reach -25 C. It is available in two versions, with outputs of 10 kW and 14 kW.

New research from Austria has compared different industrial heat-generating techniques and has found that wind or solar-powered heat pumps are the cheapest and most environment-friendly solution.

Scientists from Finland have built an experimental system that allows the drying of woody biomass with solar thermal energy and a heat pump. They claim PV may play a complementary role in the proposed setup.

The Chinese manufacturer says that its new V series heaters can use either PV or AC grid power. It can also be controlled and monitored via WiFi.

US-based Johnson Controls says its new 1,406 kW compound centrifugal heat pump is able to deliver high-temperature hot water as high as 77 C.The system reportedly has a combined coefficient of performance of 4.9.